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Posted August 1, 2013; 01:15 p.m.

by Staff

Two Princeton University postdoctoral researchers are recipients of 2013 L’Oréal USA Fellowships For Women in Science. Awarded by L'Oréal USA, the fellows program each year recognizes five outstanding U.S.-based women researchers at the start of their careers. Recipients receive up to $60,000 towards their postdoctoral research.

Luisa Whittaker-Brooks, a postdoctoral research associate in chemical and biological engineering, works to synthesize nanoscale materials for use in electronics, window coatings, sensing devices and photovoltaics. The L’Oréal award will support the design and implementation of thermoelectric materials to be used as solar-thermal generators in photovoltaics that are more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Anisa Salim Ismail, a postdoctoral research fellow in molecular biology, studies the commensal (friendly) bacteria found in mammalian intestines and that are critical to human health. Ismail will study the possibility that commensals and mammalian cells "talk" to each other through a process called quorum sensing to establish this beneficial relationship.

The 2013 fellows were selected from more than 350 candidates based on specific criteria, including exceptional academic records, intellectual merit, clearly articulated research proposals with the potential for scientific advancement, and outstanding letters of recommendation.